It is with profound sadness that we reflect on the tragic events of terrorism inflicted on the citizens of New Zealand and in particular our fellow Muslim New Zealanders and the people of Christchurch.

We acknowledge our Niuean students who were unable to perform on Saturday because Polyfest was cancelled. Be assured that you will get an opportunity to showcase your culture, as soon as we can arrange it.

This terrible act cannot be allowed to take away the tremendous pride we feel for our students who came together at Polyfest to celebrate and share their cultures. OHS had six groups performing: Kapa Haka, Cook Island, K-Pop(Korean), Niuean, Samoan and Tongan. They all had worked extremely hard to perfect their powerful, polished and very moving performances.

Because the last day of Polyfest was cancelled it was only the Kapa Haka group who had finals. OHS was simply superb. Their exceptional performances brought many to tears. They referenced the issues surrounding Ihumatao in their performances, adding another layer of poignancy and meaning. The hours spent in training, strengthening their skills was evident in the quality of their performances and outstanding results:

1st Most Improved Onehunga High School

2nd Co-Ed Mau Rakau Onehunga High School

2nd Poi Onehunga High School

3rd= Moteatea Onehunga High School

3rd Mita O Te Reo Onehunga High School

Huge congratulations to the Kapa Haka group!

All of our groups did exceptionally well and demonstrated the power and beauty that is created when we celebrate diversity and inclusion and learn from each other. The pride the students felt for their culture, their whanau, school and importantly in themselves was evident in every aspect of their performances.

While every student can be justifiably proud of their achievements, they can’t all be named here; however we would especially like to acknowledge the following teachers and student leaders.